Butterfly
by Ita-ta
Summary: It only took one pink butterfly for their paths to cross.


**This is the fifth in a series of stories that were created from my previous fic, "Twenty Men." The theme number can be explained once you read it. I am proud to dedicate "Project: Twenty Men" to **_**Aloha.Laney. **_**She's a dear friend.**

Title: Butterfly  
Author: Ita-ta  
Pairings: ShinoSaku  
Theme: 1  
Rating: T for teens.  
Disclaimer: All Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.  
Note: Please review; they fuel my drive for writing.  
Summary: It only took one pink butterfly, for their paths to cross.

Butterfly

The first time he spoke to her out of missions or hospitals was in the spring.

Eyes blinked from behind round black goggle-like sunglasses, watching the little insect fly through the air. It was spring time in Konoha, the sun shining, a gentle breeze out. Clouds dotted the sky; one would definitely find a lazy strategist out in the fields.

As it was, Aburame Shino was out in one of the fields just off of the training grounds. He had heard sounds from the grounds about thirty minutes ago but now, all was quiet. He was at peace. He was standing, wearing casual black slacks and a high-collared light blue t-shirt. Nothing was on his feet. He felt the cool blades of grass acutely between his toes, if he took a step, it was a curious sensation to feel grass flattening under your foot and tickling the heel. Running a hand through a shock of spiky brown hair, he watched the pink butterfly flutter. Easily, the powerful ANBU captain followed it, languid steps showing his relaxation.

For a moment, the Aburame let himself look skywards, a small sliver of a smile hidden behind the collar of his shirt. He bent his knees and allowed himself to sit on the ground. A few flowers scattered over the field, he saw a variety of colours. A frown marred his face, the butterfly had disappeared; it had been beautiful. He was hoping to talk with it for a few moments.

The breeze, distant sound of a river nearby and smell of clean rainwater and grass calmed him. Not to mention the quiet singing of the cicadas. His kikai wandered freely in the air around him, happy to be out in such nice weather.

The sound of soft tinkling laughter snapped Shino out of his relaxation. Being an ANBU, his body tensed automatically before discerning the chakra signature as familiar. He couldn't place who it was, they were hiding it. Slowly, he let his chakra leak out a little, as he usually hid it; a habit of ANBU.

He could hear the soft padding of feet hitting grass as they travelled in his direction. Looking straight at the chakra signature, he caught a flash of pink hair. Recognition was immediate. Haruno Sakura.

An eyebrow was raised. He was curious as to what she was doing out here. He thought that she had a shift at the hospital at this time. He stilled for a moment, watching her. She had yet to notice his presence. Well, he was sure she knew of it, but had yet to acknowledge his presence.

Her eyes were only for one thing. His little pink butterfly had reappeared. She held a hand out, fingers outstretched, calm, and peaceful. He watched, as if entranced, as the butterfly fluttered onto her palm, iridescent wings fluttering calmly. Her expression was of serene peacefulness and he was struck by how beautiful she had become.

Her pink hair, now grown long, flowed freely behind her, so rarely unreleased from the low ponytail he was used to seeing. Her curves had developed a lithe and lean form of an ANBU shown greatly in the thin frame. The blossom wore a crimson sleeveless shirt, her ANBU tattoo bare to him. A black skirt adorned her lower half, flowing, reaching to her knees. She too was barefoot. A rare sight it was to see her out of her medic outfit or her ANBU uniform.

He decided he liked it more without the rabbit mask that usually adorned her face nowadays.

It was then that he drew his eyes back up to her eyes to find her looking directly at him. His insides froze when emerald eyes pierced into him. They were gentle, content. He watched as she approached him, making the grass rustle as she went.

Sakura smiled at Shino, her head tilted to the side in a childish expression of curiosity. She always liked to make noise when walking when she didn't have to be silent. The childish glee at being silent while travelling had long since disappeared. The apprentice of the Godaime halted before the Aburame clan member. She then flopped on her rump, her feet outstretched and nearly touching his folded legs. The little butterfly fluttered around them after being jostled.

Her eyes observed his figure. Slightly tensed, cross-legged and head held high. She smiled.

"Konnichiwa Aburame-taichou." She greeted him, using the proper way of addressing him. They had worked together in ANBU on several missions, him usually as the captain, and her usually as the leading medic.

"Konnichiwa Sakura-san," His deep baritone was soft. His face was carefully blank.

"How are you?" She asked pleasantly.

"I am fine, and you?" He asked, expression the same.

Abruptly, she stood, the little pink butterfly sitting on her shoulder. She looked down at him, a cheerful expression on her face. "You know Aburame-taichou, your face will stick like stone one of these days."

With that, she was gone, leaving only the Aburame and her tinkling laughter ringing in his ears. The butterfly had gone as well.

- - - - -

The second time was when he had tried to escape the hospital.

He admitted it, he hated being at hospitals. He had been there a week, having sustained extensive injuries due to a nasty S-Rank mission. He had come back half-dead. But he had been there a week and he was sure he was fine enough to tend to himself. He was an ANBU captain. He knew that Sakura had something to do with it, as she had been assigned to him. She told him that he was an idiot and that couldn't he have been more careful and _what the hell were you thinking?_

The corners of his lips had quirked up a little when she told him she spent three hours healing him and two more adding bandages, taking vitals and doing paperwork. She had also informed him that she fell asleep in her office and woke up with an imprint of a pencil on her face. Consequently, this was revealed to Naruto when he burst into her office as he was worried because she hadn't shown up for breakfast with him that morning. Of course, he promptly burst out laughing and somehow ended up across the village with Sasuke cushioning his fall. No one questioned the Naruto-shaped window that now adorned her office wall and only Izumo and Kotetsu sighed because they knew they'd be the ones that would have to fix it.

She had caught him when he had dropped from the second story window and he crumpled to the ground as soon as his feet hit the ground. Normally when he jumped from a high place, he would land gracefully like the ANBU captain he was and make an easy escape. Not today. He groaned, feeling rather dizzy and sick, as he looked up at an evilly grinning Sakura.

"Ah, the ol' out the window-they'll-never-catch-me tactic; useful but also futile against me." She murmured. "Too many a time has a certain Hatake tried to pull that on me."

He was finding himself getting weaker and weaker, his vision darkening on the edges. "Wh-what did you do?" He was angry at how weak he sounded.

"I gave you an untraceable drug that activates in times when high amounts of adrenaline build-up." She answered him. "Effects are grogginess, reducing chakra and making reaction time slower."

He stayed in the hospital for two _more_ weeks after that debacle.

- - - - -

The third occurrence was at Ichiraku. The little stand had expanded into a restaurant over the years. She was eating with Sasuke and Naruto.

He was eating with Hinata and Kiba. His eyes would stray over to their table every so often. His curiosity was insatiable when it came to her. It was rather odd how acutely sensitive he had come to be around her.

Sakura smiled, laughing at something Naruto said. It was a jab at Sasuke. "Oh come on, Naruto he didn't fly that far." She smiled teasingly at the pouting Uchiha.

"I flew through five trees." He hissed to her through gritted teeth.

"I counted three and a half." It was laughable how surprised she sounded.

"_I _flew through _five_ trees." He reiterated, a glare being sent her way.

Sakura merely chuckled, waving off the death glare. "Yeah, didn't you fall on your face when you were running from me?" She asked the Uchiha, calmly sliding her gaze over to him.

Sasuke looked as if he grimaced. "...You. Cracked. The. Earth. With. Your. _Foot_." He ground out, little slivers of crimson slipping into his eyes.

A small smile crawled onto Shino's face at the antics of Team Seven. None could see the way his lips quirked ever so slightly. The lower half of his face was hidden by a high-collared shirt.

"I did not." Sakura denied innocently.

"I fell through a hole." Naruto grumbled.

"Oh come on you two weaklings, I didn't stomp that hard. Besides, it was only a bump on the head." Sakura answered airily.

"...I had a concussion." Sasuke growled.

"I had to go with _him_ to the hospital!" Naruto whined.

This carried on for a few moments when Sakura excused herself to get them drinks and pay the bill. Shino chose this opportunity to speak to her.

"Haruno-san." He addressed her.

"Aburame-taichou." She looked slightly surprised.

He wasn't; he had just returned from an ANBU solo-mission earlier that day. He did something that he had not done before. Lifting his chin, he tucked it over his collar so that his lips and nose were visible.

There, Sakura could see a surprising sight. She noticed the slight quirk to the edges to his lips.

"Please, Sakura." Her cheeks coloured at the familiarity. "Call me Shino."

"I may tomorrow, Aburame-taichou!" With that, she skipped off back to her table, leaving a moderately stunned bug-nin in her wake.

- - - - -

The fourth time and many more times to come, was back in the field on the very first day they spoke.

He had returned from an S-Class mission, exhausted. He only reported to Tsunade, changed clothes and wandered to the field. He felt like falling asleep there.

He was calm, serene. The weather was a lot like it had been the first day. His eyes were closed and he was lying on the grass. It was then that her laughter reached him. Much like tinkling little bells, it was like music. He didn't move, nor did he have to extend his awareness to know she was heading for him.

She came to a halt right before him and seemed to flop down on the grass beside him. He only opened his eyes when he realized something had landed on his nose. The little pink butterfly had returned.

Calm, content to let the butterfly flutter up into the air, goggled-eyes turned to look at Sakura. What greeted him made his breath hitch. Haruno Sakura made the Aburame Shino's breath hitch. She wore a flowing white halter dress, with a little pink butterfly on the left side of her stomach, a trail of pink thread making a twirl design behind it.

Her feet were bare like his. Her hair was up in a messy bun.

"Shino?" It was the first time Sakura had called him by his first name. He decided he liked how his name rolled of her tongue in that light soprano voice.

Pausing in his musings, he looked at her to find her jade eyes looking right back.

"Yes, Sakura?" He asked, deciding that he loved how her name rolled off his tongue even more.

"I was just thinking on how pretty it is today." She looked skyward, her eyes seeking out the pink butterfly.

It occurred to him that often times, he liked to think of her as _his little pink butterfly_. Eyes widened in revelation behind his eyewear. Before he could stop himself, the words escaped him. "Not as beautiful as you," He murmured and then quickly shut his mouth, lower face sinking further behind the high collar t-shirt he wore.

Shocked emerald eyes looked at him. Then her cheeks started to colour a light pink. Her eyes shut and she started shaking her head.

His had shot out before he knew it and touched her cheek gently. He didn't realize he even sat up. Wide jade eyes looked incredulously at him, surprised at the sudden gentle touch. Then, almost tentatively, he stroked her cheek. They were deepening in a redder hue. It was then that he felt her lean into his touch a little. A masculine rumbling sound of approval reverberated from his chest. Leaning forward, he touched his forehead to hers.

Then, he let his lips brush hers, feathery light, as if asked permission. His eyes sought her gaze and he found it. Taking that answer in stride, he captured her lips with his. His hand held her cheek as they kissed. Her jade eyes fluttered shut, she herself responding to the kiss.

He was the one to break the kiss, his lips lingering by hers. Leaning forward, he trailed kisses down her jaw line, paying attention to her ears. She let out a low moan when he reached her pulse point. Experimentally, his tongue darted out and he was met by the same sound. He then nipped at her, enjoying the sound of a sharp intake of breath before trailing back up her jaw line to kiss her once more.

When they parted, Shino flopped down on the grass in a rare show of exhaustion. He felt her lay her head on his chest. She could hear his soothing heartbeat. Soon they both fell asleep, her head on his chest, his hand tangled in her hair.

_My little pink butterfly._


End file.
